Influence
by redwolfoz
Summary: Ninth Doctor&Rose. 15 minute ficlet. The Doctor discovers that Rose shouldn't be trusted with certain things.


**15 Minute Ficlets Challenge:** Vacant

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**Influence**

by Red Wolf

The Doctor had disappeared into the bowels of the Console in an effort to push Rose's weirdness from his mind. Careful rewiring and the judicious application of a well-placed mallet was having its usual Zen-like effect on his mood.

Twisting a knob and flicking a switch, he reached for his sonic screwdriver to make a minor adjustment. It wasn't within reach. He eased himself out onto the deck and checked his pockets with no luck. A quick ferret through his toolbox and once over of the Console Room didn't help to turn up his missing screwdriver either.

Leaning against the Console, he folded his arms and thought back to where he'd last seen it. Frowning in concentration, he supposed that it would have to have been at their last planet fall when he'd checked the indigenous food for human compatibility.

He'd assumed that Rose had pocketed the local equivalent of mixed sweets for future consumption but, from her later behaviour, there was a good chance that she'd inhaled them when he wasn't looking.

Their usual form of bipedal locomotion was either walking or running; it didn't entail skipping. Entering the TARDIS also didn't tend to involve Rose shoving him up against a wall and doing a fine impression of an octopus before she giggled and ran out of the Console Room.

"Sticky fingered little devil." The Doctor shook his head and headed off in search of Rose.

It took longer than he expected to find her. Especially as he'd already checked the darkened room twice and wouldn't have noticed her the third time if it wasn't for a brief flash of dimmed light.

Rose was sitting in front of a full length mirror with the sonic screwdriver lodged firmly up her nose. She was slowly and methodically turning the light on and off. It was a miracle she hadn't managed to do herself a serious mischief.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Light goes on. Light goes off." She glanced at the Doctor as if her explanation was perfectly lucid and he should have known better than to ask.

Crouching down in front of Rose, the Doctor gently removed his tool from her nose. "You do know you could have hurt yourself? This isn't a toy."

Rose made a grab for the screwdriver and missed. "Nah. I know how to make the light thingy work." Silly she may well have been at that moment, but she still had enough sense to refrain from mentioning that it had taken her five minutes of fiddling, and several scorched fingers, to get the settings right.

"Care to tell me what brought he sudden urge to turn your nose into a glow bug?" He held her face in his hands, checking that she hadn't damaged her nose.

Closing her eyes, Rose leaned into the Doctor's touch with a smile on her face. "The sweets. Sugar high."

"Ah. Does this happen often?" Satisfied that she would live to shove things up her nose another day, the Doctor sat back on his haunches.

"No. Only occasionally." Rose frowned in thought. "Although it's probably for the best to keep me away from karaoke machines if I've had too much sugar, my taste in music under the influence is pretty scary."

Having heard her taste in music, the Doctor had to wonder how much worse it could get. Perhaps there were some things it was best not to know about. "So, groping me was just a means to an end?" He held up his screwdriver.

Rose giggled. "Don't be silly. But you have to admit, it was the most enjoyable way I could think of getting my hands on it."

The Doctor looked startled. Apparently way too much sugar didn't just make Rose silly and hyperactive. Before he could come up with a coherent reply, she'd pushed him firmly in the chest. He overbalanced and fell backwards. He didn't have time enough to recover before Rose crawled up his body to straddle him.

"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but it might cost you some more of those sweets." Grinning at his surprised expression, Rose kissed him.

The Doctor returned her grin and pulled her closer. "We'll negotiate that later."


End file.
